UCLA, led by its gritty coach, stuns Michigan
WHEN this magical ride began for UCLA, way back with a First Four game against Michigan State to merely advance into the big boys’ NCAA Tournament bracket of 64, the Bruins were trailing by 11 points at halftime and looking a lot like this was going to be a meek, oneand-done postseason.
That when UCLA coach Mick Cronin, in the halftime locker room, had something to say.
Cronin, who never will be accused of being a wallflower, told his players — in no uncertain terms — that they were soft.
Two weeks and five wins later, no one is calling UCLA soft anymore, least of all their fiery coach.
UCLA, a No. 11 seed, advanced to its first Final Four since 2008 with a scintillating 51-49 upset win over No. 1 seed Michigan on Tuesday night in the East Region final and now it looks like the toughest out in the tournament.
The 22-9 Bruins next play 30-0 Gonzaga, the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, at 8:34 p.m. Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium for a chance to play for the national championship.
The final moments of Tuesday’s game were frenetic. It was clear all night that this game wasn’t going to be decided until the final possession, and that’s exactly how it played out.
The final result wasn’t official until a Franz Wagner 3-point shot at the buzzer — that if it had gone in would have won the game for Michigan — bounced off the backboard and rim and sent the UCLA players into euphoric celebration.
“These guys get all the credit,’’ Cronin said of his players. “Unbelievable heart and toughness. Their resilience is unbelievable to stop such a great team like Michigan.’’
When Cronin was hired in 2019 by UCLA, many of the Bruins faithful didn’t like it. They had been hoping for a sexier, higher-profile name than a coach who came from the University of Cincinnati.
But in the end, the UCLA fans got exactly what they wanted and — more importantly — needed in what Cronin brought, which is a toughness that the program had lacked for too long.
Cronin breathes and bleeds toughness. That’s what brought the Bruins to their 19th Final Four in UCLA history and perhaps the most remarkable and rewarding one of them all.
“Obviously, I knew the expectations — it’s pretty clear at UCLA,’’ Cronin said of being hired at such a traditionrich school. “I understood it and I wanted it.’’
Cronin is a classic, back-alley scrapper, a coach who isn’t afraid to bend a few noses out of joint. And that’s rubbed off on his players — as evidenced by the grit they showed Tuesday night against a Michigan team that was trying to make its third Final Four since 2013 and second since 2018.
UCLA won the game with two players scoring in double figures, led by a virtuoso performance by Johnny Juzang, who led all scorers with 28 points. Juzang scored 18 of UCLA’s 27 first-half points as the Bruins took a 27-23 lead into the half.
“We rode Johnny as hard as we could with his scoring,’’ Cronin said.
As great as Juzang was, though, this game was won on defense for UCLA, which held Michigan (23-5) to 39.2 percent shooting and forced 14 turnovers. Michigan, which entered the night averaging 76.8 points per game, didn’t score a single point in the final five minutes of the game. “I’ve been trying to teach these guys how to win,’’ Cronin said. “They believe. They just keep defending, keep playing with heart, keep playing with toughness. Michigan is an elite team. It was going to be hard to score all night. We knew we had to keep defending.’’ It was fitting that UCLA won this game making a defensive stop on the final play. “Our defense is why we’re alive,” Cronin said before the game. “And our defense is why we will survive.’’ Cronin is a basketball lifer, whose playing career never got past high school, but whose father, Hep, was a venerable high school coach with a diverse background that included scouting baseball players in the minor leagues and horses at the track and he was integral in shaping his son’s career path. Cronin was shaped by his colorful father, who won more than 400 high school games without a losing season and moonlighted as a scout for the Atlanta Braves, credited for “discovering’’ David Justice and Chipper Jones, both of whom became stars. “I wouldn’t be here without him,’’ Cronin said as he pointed to his dad in the stands with tears in his eyes. That was softest moment for UCLA in the past two magical weeks.